The need for flexible protective coverings has been historically present. Leather was perhaps one of the first materials used for the purpose and remains popular for many uses today. Garments have also been made of metal as, for example, so-called "chain mail". All too frequently, the weight and/or bulk and/or stiffness of some of the historically used materials has been unsuitable for many uses wherein protective covering, particularly as apparel items, has been required.
More recently, extremely tough synthetic materials have been developed and, in many instances, have replaced the materials that were historically employed in forming protective coverings. Aramid containing materials are a good example. Aramid is favored for many applications because of its flexibility, temperature resistance, chemical resistance and resistance to abrasion. However, aramid is not as cut resistant as may be desired for many applications.
Consequently, aramid has been paired with wire and the combination used in forming protective coverings. Aramid brings to the combination its previously mentioned desirable characteristics while the wire enhances the cut resistance of the article formed.
At the same time, the combination is not without its drawbacks. For one, if the wire is too thick, flexibility of the protective covering is impaired; and this is particularly undesirable where the protective covering is in the form of apparel such as a glove or an apron.
Where the size of the wire is reduced to promote flexibility, repeated flexure of the protective covering may result in the breaking of the wire. While this may not seriously impair the protective nature of the covering, when the covering is used as an item of apparel, particularly when used as glove, the broken ends of the wire may work their way free of the surface of the protective covering and pierce the skin of the wearer.
Furthermore, because of the use of wire necessarily entails the use of a metal, protective coverings formed from aramid and wire will be electrically conductive and therefore cannot be used as protection in an environment where electrical energy poses a potential hazard.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the above problems and additionally, is directed to providing a yarn-like material having improved abrasion and cut-resistance over aramid and wire combinations.